1. Field
The present invention relates to a battery unit connection structure of an electric vehicle equipped with a detachable/attachable battery unit as a power supply source.
2. Description of the Related Art
There is known an electric vehicle such as a two-wheeled electric vehicle, in which a battery unit is detachably attached to a battery holding portion of a vehicle body (see, for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 2008-062814 (Patent Document 1)).
In a battery unit connection structure of an electric vehicle described in Patent Document 1, a battery holding portion is provided at a base portion of a seat post supporting a seat. A battery unit is assembled in an inclined posture to the battery holding portion, and then turned so that the battery unit is positioned along the seat post.
To be specific, in the battery unit connection structure of an electric vehicle, paired supporting shafts projecting toward opposite directions are provided to protrude from outer side surfaces of the battery unit at a lower end thereof, and engaging recessed portions for turnably receiving the paired supporting shafts of the battery unit are provided in the battery holding portion on the vehicle body side. In addition, a battery side connector is provided on a lower surface of the battery unit at a position away from the supporting shafts, and a vehicle body side connector to be fitted and connected with the battery side connector is provided in the battery holding portion at a position corresponding to the battery side connector.
To attach the battery unit to the vehicle body, the paired supporting shafts are first engaged with the corresponding engaging recessed portions with the battery unit set in an inclined posture. In this state, the battery unit is turned around the supporting shafts to fit and connect the battery side connector to the vehicle body side connector. The battery unit is then fixed to the vehicle body by a locking device.
However, in the above-mentioned conventional battery unit connection structure, the battery side connector is connected to the vehicle body side connector by turning the battery unit after engaging the supporting shafts of the battery unit with the corresponding engaging recessed portions on the vehicle body side. Accordingly, an operator connects the battery side connector and the vehicle body side connector without visually checking the connectors. This requires careful work because an attempt to turn the battery unit while the battery side connector and the vehicle body side connector are not properly fit causes a large load to act on a joint of the connectors.